T-Cell Epitopes

T-cell epitopes provide a more accurate measure of severe disease risk from Omicron than neutralizing antibodies alone. The majority of T-cell epitopes remain conserved against Omicron in both naturally infected and vaccinated populations. T-cell epitopes are the specific binding sites that T cells use to recognize viral components. T-cell epitopes reveal whether existing immune memory can effectively recognize and respond to a variant. T cells still recognize Omicron as substantially similar to prior variants due to epitope preservation.