Travel clinic Nomad Travel is offering coronavirus antibody tests and immunity certificates to people who want to travel abroad without restriction. Sam Ballard reports

Nomad Travel, the exotic travel pharmacy and vaccination clinic, has launched a Covid-19 self-test kit and in-clinic antibody test for Covid-19.

Both tests have been authorised by Public Health England and have an accuracy rate greater than 98 per cent.

The self-test kit is designed for those who have symptoms of the virus or have recently come into contact with someone who has the virus and want verification that they have Covid-19.

The self-test kits cost £145. Nomad Travel posts them out to customers with “easy to follow” instructions on how to take a sample. The procedure involves a PCR swab from both the nose and throat which is to be returned to the lab for analysis in secure, bioprotective packaging.

The results will then be available through an online portal.

Meanwhile, the antibody test, which will indicate you have contracted Covid-19 and have developed a level of immunity, is available in Nomad Travel’s clinics in Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester and London. A nurse will take a blood sample on-site while following PPE and hygiene guidelines.Nomad TravelResults for the antibody test are available within two to three days. The test costs £120.

In a statement, Nomad Travel says: “Antibodies are proteins which help to fight off infections and are only produced by the body after exposure and infection has occurred. They can usually take 14-plus days to appear but, occasionally, this can take longer so, depending on when an individual was infected and the timing of the test, it may not provide accurate results. It is also important to understand that not every individual creates circulating antibodies even after confirmed infection.”

Why do the tests? If you find that you have Covid-19 antibodies, Nomad can provide people with a Covid-19 Certificate for Travel, which costs £15 but means they might not have to undergo quarantines or face border restrictions when they travel.

“You may be able to use this test kit as a means of supporting entry to another country,” says Nomad Travel. The certificate, to all intents and purposes, will act as a kind of “immunity passport”.

Nomad Travel is not the only company offering solutions for travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. Le Bijou, a luxury hotel with properties in Switzerland, is offering luxury stays to well-heeled clients wanting to quarantine in luxury.

Le Bijou’s apartment style rooms can be operated without any staff while its rooms can be converted into a “private health centre”.

However, a luxury laden quarantine doesn’t come cheap. The penthouse apartments at Le Bijou costs between US$800 and US$2,000 per night, while a coronavirus test is available as an add-on for US$500. Twice-daily nurse visits will set you back US$800 per day or or 24/7 nursing care for US$4,800 a day, reportedly.

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