Since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants with increasing ability to evade neutralizing antibodies have emerged. Thus, earlier interest in defining the correlates of protection from infection, mainly mediated by humoral immunity, has shifted to correlates of protection from disease, which require a more comprehensive analysis of both humoral and cellular immunity. In this review, we summarized the evidence that supports the role of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells induced by infection, by vaccination or by their combination (defined as hybrid immunity) in disease protection. We then analyzed the different epidemiological and virological variables that can modify the magnitude, function, and anatomical localization of SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells and their influence in the possible ability of T cells to protect the host from severe COVID-19 development.

自 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 大流行开始以来，出现了多种逃避中和抗体能力增强的严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 变体。因此，早期对定义主要由体液免疫介导的感染保护相关性的兴趣已经转移到疾病保护相关性，这需要对体液免疫和细胞免疫进行更全面的分析。在这篇综述中，我们总结了支持由感染、疫苗接种或它们的组合（定义为混合免疫）诱导的 SARS-CoV-2 特异性 T 细胞在疾病保护中的作用的证据。然后我们分析了不同的流行病学和病毒学变量，这些变量可以改变幅度、功能、