“We do have some treatments that seem to be in very early studies limiting the severity or the length of the illness but we do not have anything that can kill or stop the virus,” spokeswoman Margaret Harris told a virtual briefing, referring to the body’s so-called Solidarity Trial of drugs against the disease, Reuters reported.

“We do have potentially positive data coming out but we need to see more data to be 100% confident that we can say this treatment over that one,” she added.

Global progress hailed

The WHO also hailed global progress but warned of the need for “extreme vigilance” against the second wave of transmission.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told another virtual briefing that, “the good news is that there has been a great deal of success in slowing the virus and ultimately saving lives,” AFP reported.

Infection rates in many countries have started to slow, the WHO noted, with weeks of lockdown paying dividends.

But the global health body warned of a second wave of transmission, with emergencies chief Michael Ryan lamenting that some governments were choosing to “drive through this blind” by not ramping up capacity to test and trace.

The virus has now killed more than 285,000 people, according to a tally compiled by AFP. The number of infections has surpassed 4.1 million.

Coronavirus hope in US

The United States logged a second consecutive day of fewer than 900 coronavirus deaths, AFP reported.

Optimism was tempered by the increasingly dire economic situation, with France showing a huge fall in activity last month and a warning that a major US airline would likely go under because of the pandemic, as jobs vanish and businesses go to the wall.

Swathes of the US have opened up in recent days, despite warnings that the virus is not fully under control in the world’s worst-hit country.

There was some qualified good news for Americans on Monday, with a tally showing 830 deaths in 24 hours – a second consecutive day of fewer than 900.

Nevertheless, more than 80,000 people are known to have died from the disease since it hit America’s shores.

The true human cost could be much higher.

In a study, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of dead in worst-hit New York could be around 30 percent more than the official toll.

In Europe, where infection rates and death tolls have significantly tailed off, millions of people have begun emerging from lockdown.

Spaniards reveled in being able to visit outdoor terraces and cafes after months under one of the world’s toughest lockdowns, although virus hotspots such as Madrid and Barcelona remain under wraps.

Shopping strips were once again populated in Greece, while in other parts of Europe – from the Netherlands to Switzerland and Croatia – youngsters headed back to the classroom after weeks at home.

In Asia, normal life was also getting back on track with trains restarting in India later Tuesday.

Shanghai Disneyland reopened at the start of the week, and many workers returned to offices in Hong Kong.

There was also light at the end of the tunnel for sports fans.

Italian football’s Serie A clubs are set to return to team training from May 18, and Germany’s Bundesliga will kick off on Saturday – but without fans.