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| - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: Germany and France record their worst daily infection rates in months with concerns growing that cases could spike in Europe as holidaymakers come home and children return to school. Germany reports 1,707 new cases in the past 24 hours, the highest daily toll since the peak of the pandemic in April. And France records new cases at the fastest daily rate since May, with almost 3,800 infections confirmed in the past 24 hours. The pandemic has killed at least 787,918 people worldwide since surfacing in China late last year, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP at 1100 GMT on Thursday. More than 22.4 million cases have been registered. The United States has recorded the most deaths with 173,193, followed by Brazil with 111,100, Mexico with 58,481, India with 53,866 and Britain with 41,397. Anthony Fauci, the United States' top infectious diseases official, says the government will not make any future COVID-19 vaccine obligatory for the general public -- though local jurisdictions could make it mandatory for some groups, like children. China defends a massive pool party attended by thousands of people in the city of Wuhan -- where the virus first emerged in December 2019 -- despite images from the event prompting outrage around the world. Pictures and video of the weekend electronic music party have gone viral, attracting a huge negative response in places where lockdowns are still in effect. But Chinese authorities insist the pool party shows the city's "strategic victory" against the outbreak, and says the images are proof the country's approach to controlling the virus has been successful. Germany adds popular tourist destinations along Croatia's coast to its list of high-risk areas. The designation for Croatia's Sibenik-Knin and Split-Dalmatia counties announced by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases means travellers returning to Germany from there must take a free mandatory COVID-19 test and face possible quarantine. In a major step towards normalising football in China, the country's top-flight Chinese Super League will allow 1,000 spectators into a high-profile match on Saturday, paving the way for a limited number of fans to attend selected future fixtures. burs-eab/gd
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