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| - Here are the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis: The United States is facing a "serious problem" as southern and western states experience a surge in cases, leading government expert Anthony Fauci tells the first news briefing in two months held by the coronavirus task force led by Vice President Mike Pence. Pence says the situation is not comparable to the height of the crisis in the northeast, in March and April, saying: "We're in a much stronger place. The truth is we did slow the spread, we flattened the curve." US President Donald Trump cancels a weekend trip to his New Jersey golf course at the last minute. The White House says the cancellation has "nothing to do with" new 14-day quarantine recommendations made by New Jersey's governor for people travelling to the state from areas where infection rates were high, including Arizona, where Trump held a rally on Tuesday. Texas and Florida announce measures to discourage people from meeting in groups, including ordering bars closed and banning on-site alcohol consumption at them, amid a record-breaking surge in cases in both states. The two populous southern states, home to some 50 million people, were spared the worst of the outbreak in March and April but Texas saw a record 5,596 new coronavirus cases Thursday, while the next day Florida reported its own record of 8,942. The World Health Organization says that a global initiative to speed up the development and production of COVID-19 tests, vaccines and treatments will require more than $31.3 billion over the next year. Commenting ahead of a major pledging event in Brussels on Saturday in support of the ACT accelerator, aimed at pooling international resources to combat the pandemic, WHO says $3.4 billion has already been pledged. The pandemic has killed at least 490,771 people worldwide since it surfaced in China late last year, according to an AFP tally at 1900 GMT on Friday, based on official sources. The United States has the most deaths with 124,732, followed by Brazil with 54,971, Britain with 43,414, Italy with 34,708 and France with 29,778. acm-jmy/dl
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