HONG KONG, April 6 (Xinhua)-The following are the latest developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Asia-Pacific countries.

CANBERRA-The growth rate of Australia's coronavirus cases has fallen below 2 percent.

According to the Department of Health there had been 5,744 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Australia as of Monday morning, with an increase of only 109 cases, or 1.9 percent, from Sunday morning.

South Australian researchers have begun trialling a potential vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] Photo taken on April 4, 2020 shows a notice of asking people to stay at home in Fairlight, Sydney, Australia. (Xinhua / Bai Xuefei)[/caption]

NEW DELHI-India's federal health ministry Monday morning said the death toll due to COVID-19 in India rose to 109 and the total number of confirmed cases in the country reached 4,067.

This is a jump of 26 deaths and an increase of 490 cases since Sunday evening.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] Doctors and health workers attend to check up inhabitants of a residential complex in Guwahati, India, on April 4, 2020.  (Str / Xinhua)[/caption]

KABUL, April 6 (Xinhua)-Thirty more confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in Afghanistan, bringing the number of the infected people in the country to 367 as of Monday morning, a Ministry of Public Health spokesman confirmed.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A health worker checks the body temperature of a prisoner at a provincial jail in Dushi district of northern Baghlan province, Afghanistan, March 30, 2020. (Photo by Elaha Sahel / Xinhua)[/caption]

HANOI, April 6 (Xinhua)-People who violate the COVID-19 prevention and combat regulations will face heavy fines or even a criminal trial in the Vietnamese capital city of Hanoi, Vietnam News Agency reported Monday.

Those who threw used masks on streets and sidewalks can face a maximum fine of 7 million Vietnamese dong (about 304 US dollars) while people who fail to wear masks in public spaces may face a maximum fine of 300,000 Vietnamese dong.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] Photo taken on April 1, 2020 shows people wearing face masks in Vietnam's southern Kien Giang province. (VNA / Handout via Xinhua)[/caption]

TOKYO-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to declare a state of emergency over the coronavirus outbreak in Japan, due to the recent surging COVID-19 cases in Tokyo and other large cities, government sources said Monday.

Pressure had been mounting on Abe to make the declaration amid a surge in COVID-19 cases recently, with calls for the move from Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the Japan Medical Association intensifying.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A woman wearing mask looks up to admire the cherry blossom by the street in Tokyo, Japan, March 22, 2020. (Xinhua / Du Xiaoyi)[/caption]

ISLAMABAD-The total number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has risen to 3,059 including 45 deaths in Pakistan, according to the data updated by the country's health ministry on Sunday evening.

The statistics presented by the ministry showed that at least 512 people were tested positive while eight deaths were registered from Friday to Sunday.

Sunday.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="899"] Volunteers disinfect a mosque as a preventive measure against COVID-19 in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad / Xinhua)[/caption]

SINGAPORE-Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reported 120 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, recording a high daily jump and bringing the total confirmed cases in the city state to 1,309.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] People walk along the promenade outside Singapore's Marina Bay Sands on April 1, 2020. (Photo by Then Chih Wey / Xinhua)  ■[/caption]