Protection from infection or disease? Re-evaluating the broad immunogenicity of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines

• Viral lineages that escape antibodies have changed the landscape of the pandemic. • SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells effectively protect against disease development. • Vaccine efficacy should be evaluated by its ability to protect from severe disease. • Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces a multi-protein specific T cell response. • The superior breadth of the vaccine T cell response could be a protective asset.