SO HOW SAFE AM I WITH MY ‘IMMUNITY PASSPORT’?

I WOULDN’T say I felt I had joined a master race when my Covid-19 ‘immunity passport’ arrived this week. But I did have a slightly smug glow of satisfaction when discussing my positive antibody test result with colleagues.

‘Jammy devil’ and ‘I wish I had one’ were among the envious, bordering on resentful, responses.

Although there is no absolute proof, some experts believe having antibodies provides some immunity which may mean I cannot get the disease again or pass it on to anyone else. But they don’t know how much.

Friends who had antibody tests that proved negative bore the dejected air of youngsters who had just failed the 11-plus. Or their driving test — again.

I paid £85 to a private GP practice for the test. Having had extreme fatigue for three weeks, but few other symptoms, I wanted to be sure. The nurse, Kathy, took a pin prick of blood from my finger using a little kit from Derby-based SureScreen Diagnostics. After chatting for the ten minutes it takes for a result, she saw a flicker on the kit, looked up and declared: ‘Good news. You’re positive!’

I was delighted, even more so the next day when I received an email containing a photograph of the result, the test kit used, details of SureScreen and my driving licence. A Covid-19 ‘immunity passport’ in all but name.

SureScreen says its coronavirus test is at least 97 per cent accurate, so the results are not fully assured.

The Government is in talks to buy antibody tests made by Swiss firm Roche which cost more and take longer. Roche says they are 100 per cent accurate (with a 0.2 per cent false positive rate).

SureScreen is hoping further tests will show the accuracy of its kit, which costs just £10 to make, is even closer to 100 per cent and can, therefore, win Public Health England approval soon.

The Government is opposed to providing coronavirus ‘immunity passports’ mainly because no one is certain you can’t get the disease twice.

Instead, they are considering a more cautious ‘health certificate’ allowing those, like me, who have tested positive to enjoy greater freedom. But only if and when it is known that immunity is established, and for how long.

Others have said it could lead to two tiers of citizens. Or lead to ‘coronavirus parties’ where people try to get the disease so they can acquire a Cov-ID card — as it could become known. Somehow it makes me glad I have one.

As the lockdown eases, I can imagine a fellow commuter eyeing me nervously if I stray within the two-metre social distancing zone on a busy train.

The temptation to smile reassuringly and flash a photograph on my iPhone of my coronavirus ‘immunity passport’ at them may be irresistible.

All I need is my Superman cape.