"We are still learning."

They're the words of the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Of course, we all know that by now.

Every day we learn just how deadly this virus can be and how important steps and missteps by those who govern will be.

Now we learn from WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus that this virus is 10 times more deadly than the 2009 flu pandemic.

"We can only say what we know, and we can only act on what we know," Dr Tedros said during a press conference in Geneva on Easter Monday.

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That's exactly why this is so frightening, nobody seems to fully know what we are facing.

Even now evidence is emerging indicating that some of those infected with COVID-19 do not develop immunity and can be reinfected.

In some countries the infection rate continues to double every three to four days.

"Ultimately the delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt the transmission," Dr Tedros said.

And so we're in the hands of scientists.

But there are no global decisions here.

Each nation is making its own announcements, its own determinations and politicians in individual countries will be judged when we come out the other side. Whenever that may be.

There's no world leadership to be found right now.

Donald Trump has made his feelings about the WHO clear.

In contrast, the British Government, with its leader only just surviving the illness, has given the United Nations arm an extra 200 million pounds ($392 million) in funding.

Spain rolls the dice and eases restrictions

Spain has chosen to ease some of its lockdown restrictions as its death toll slows. ( AP: Felipe Dana )

Spain is taking a gamble by allowing some non-essential employees back to work. They are mainly construction workers and those employed in manufacturing.

It's a risk, but in the UK, for instance, many of those workers are still on the job.

French President Emmanuel Macron says his country will remain in coronavirus lockdown for another month.

But he announced that May 11 would be a new dawn when schools and creches would be gradually opened.

The WHO says economies should not be given priority over the lives of citizens. But the lives of citizens are explicitly linked to economic prosperity.

"The way down is much slower than the way up, that means control measures must be lifted slowly and with control. It must not happen all at once," Dr Tedros said.

The WHO will now issue criteria for lifting restrictions but judging by the initial comments from the organisation's head, they're vague.

One of the six recommendations relates to nations being able to trace contact of virus sufferers.

The UK is among countries developing an app to alert people when they may have been near someone who has coronavirus.

A notification that would then be sent via text message and, no doubt, horrify the receiver.

But without significant levels of testing how does it really help?

And how can poor nations like Indonesia with a population of more than 250 million people possibly meet that criteria?

Another of the recommendations will be that preventative measures in workplaces and schools be put in place and that outbreak risks be minimised in hospitals and nursing homes.

It's nice to have a list, but will it really help?