The worldwide crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic will only be overcome by herd immunity.
Effective vaccines are becoming available, but neither the correlates nor durability of immune protection have been defined. Moreover, pre-existing antiviral immunity bears the risk of unwanted induction of immunopathology upon exposure.
Thus, a profound understanding of protective versus pathologic antiviral immunity is required.
Here, we define adaptive immune responses during the natural course of infection in comparison to that induced by vaccines. Thereby, we gain important mechanistic insights into antiviral immunity to manage the current pandemic and to be better prepared for potential future pandemics.
