How does the discovery of SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive T cells in unexposed individuals change our understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic? In this Perspective, the authors provide a thought experiment to explain why the discovery of cross-reactive T cells may affect disease severity in individuals, but is unlikely to change our estimate of the herd immunity threshold.
- Marc Lipsitch
- Yonatan H. Grad
- Shane Crotty