Lima, December 12: The government of Peru announced on Thursday the temporary suspension of the clinical trials of a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The decision was taken after a volunteer enrolled in the trials of Sinopharm vaccine suffered from serious neurological issues. A decision on resuming the trials would be taken after conducting an exhausting review.

The decision to halt the trials was finalised by the National Institute of Health - on Friday. The health regulator took cognisance of the volunteer's ill-health before deciding to suspend the clinical tests for an interim period. Mexico Approves Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use, Set to Receive 250,000 Doses.

According to the local media, the volunteer who has suffered from the neurological issues found it difficult to move his hands and legs. The symptoms suggest that he is suffering from a medical condition called the Guillain-Barre syndrome.

"Several days ago we signaled, as we are required, to the regulatory authorities that one of our participants (in trials) presented neurological symptoms which could correspond to a condition called Guillain-Barre syndrome," said chief researcher German Malaga in comments to the press.

The disease, though uncommon, is not rare in Peru. In June last year, several cases were reported in parts of the country prompting the government to declare a health emergency. However, the disease is non-contagious.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2020 05:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).