Peru's Health authorities have approved a Phase 3 clinical trial for a potential COVID-19 vaccine developed by China National Biotec Group (CNBG), the company announced on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Thursday.

The experimental CNBG vaccine has already entered Phase 3 testing in the United Arab Emirates. CNBG is a unit of state-owned pharmaceutical giant China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).

Phase 3 trials, which usually involve several thousand participants, allow researchers to gather data on the efficacy of potential vaccines for final regulatory approvals. 

Peru is one of the Latin American countries hardest hit by the novel coronavirus. As of Thursday, the country has reported nearly 550,000 confirmed cases in total, ranking sixth worldwide. 

Morocco authorities, later on the same day, also approved phase 3 clinical trials for the CNBG vaccine.

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