When it comes to immunity against COVID-19, antibodies have taken centrestage. Researchers religiously track the levels of neutralising antibodies in a person after taking a vaccine, correlating it directly with how protective the vaccine is. 

What has been overlooked in this process is the immune system's second line of defense - the T-cells. Simply put, antibodies do the work of stopping viruses from getting into our cells. But if the virus does infect a cell, T-cells then come into play to identify and kill these infected cells, thereby eliminating the virus. 

Researchers are finding that T-cells could hold the key to long-term immunity against COVID-19, given their resilience compared to antibodies. Recent studies show that despite Omicron's ability to dodge antibodies, it is unable to escape T-cell responses induced by vaccination or natural infection, thereby preventing most infections from progressing to critical illness. What's more interesting is that even T-cells from common cold coronaviruses have been found to provide protection.

As the world shifts towards treating COVID as endemic, reducing the severity of the disease will become more important than reducing the number of infections. Having sufficient T-cell protection could turn the tide against the pandemic, opening up a whole new perspective towards immunity against COVID-19.