The world’s focus should be on fighting Covid-19, he said, which as of Thursday had infected more than 1.5 million people around the world and killed over 88,000.

Ramaphosa, who is also president of South Africa, said nations should work together to confront their common enemy and “should not allow ourselves to be distracted by anything else”.

“Our success against this pandemic will only be realised through collaboration, cooperation and, most importantly, through global solidarity,” he said.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, a former prime minister of Chad and chairman of the African Union Commission – the executive arm of the AU – echoed Ramaphosa’s comments.

“The African Union fully supports the WHO and Dr Tedros,” he said. “The focus should remain on collectively fighting Covid-19 as a united global community. The time for accountability will come.”

Tedros, an Ethiopian who was promoted to the WHO’s top job in 2017, has come under heavy fire from the US for defending China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

China itself has been criticised for failing to alert the world to the health crisis when it was first detected in Wuhan at the end of last year, going so far as to silence people like Dr Li Wenliang – who lost his life to the disease – who sought to raise the alarm.

Coronavirus vaccine trials: Chinese volunteer in Wuhan tells his story

“So we’re just going to take a look at it. You know, we fund it. They seem to be very China-centric,” Trump said at a press briefing at the White House on Tuesday.

“They’re taking a lot of heat because they didn’t want the borders closed. They called it wrong. Every aspect of it wrong.”

As of Wednesday, the US had reported more than 430,000 confirmed coronavirus cases – close to three times the number anywhere else in the world – and almost 15,000 deaths.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari joined the AU in praising the WHO and Tedros.

“We are grateful for the leadership and guidance the WHO has provided as we respond to this pandemic,” he said on Twitter. “With Covid-19, we are in an existential battle, requiring global solidarity.”

“Without unity, we assure you … any country that may have a better system will be in trouble and more crisis. No need to use Covid to score political points,” he said.

The director general said he had been sent racist insults and even death threats since the pandemic began.

“[But] I don’t care who says what about me. I would prefer to focus on saving lives.”