A novel whole-blood stimulation assay to detect and quantify memory T-cells in COVID-19 patients

SARS-CoV-2 specific T-cells responses are essential for virus clearance. We present a novel and simple whole-blood assay allowing the detection of interferon-gamma-producing antiviral T-cells following peptide stimulation. We show that unlike neutralizing antibodies, antiviral memory T-cells persist at least 6 months in convalescent Covid-19 individuals.