More than 2,000 people tested during first weekend of mass testing in Merthyr Tydfil
Watch the report by Valleys Correspondent Hannah Thomas
Mass testing in Merthyr officially started on Saturday after it became the first place in Wales to pilot rapid testing.
The Welsh Government has said the pilot, which follows rapid a similar scheme rolled out across Liverpool, will "help find more positive cases and break the chains of transmission".
Last week, Merthyr Tydfil briefly became the worst-hit area of the UK, with 741 cases per 100,000 people, so it is hoped that the mass testing will help control the spread of coronavirus in the region.
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council confirmed that 2,049 people had attended the mass testing scheme over the two weekend days, with 1,072 on Sunday and 977 on Saturday.
Statistics for Monday are not yet available but it is believed that the turnout figures are similar to those from Sunday.
The health minister said initial results show about 1% of cases came back as positive.
How does mass testing work?
The Welsh Government has confirmed it hopes to test the entire population of Merthyr Tydfil, including people who work there, which is thought to be more than 60,000 people.
Those that attend are asked to take a lateral form test, which gives results in up to 30 minutes. If the result shows as positive, that person is asked to then take a swab test.
What are the latest stats saying about Merthyr?
On Monday, Public Health Wales confirmed that there had been 18 further positive cases in Merthyr in their latest figures.
Health minister Vaughan Gething confirmed that there had been over 2,000 tests carried out within the first two days of mass testing from the leisure centre in the town.
What are people's concerns over testing?
Some residents in Merthyr had expressed concerns over the number of people in queues at the mass testing facilities in the town, but the health minister confirmed that people who were symptomatic should be attending another testing site.
"It has been an obvious concern that we looked at in the planning. People should be maintaining a social distance in the queues," he said.
"People are being diverted away from the queues if they have symptoms and directed away from those queues but we are asking people to be responsible when they arrive. People who are having symptoms we will get them tested somewhere else.
"We have managed to identify some people who did not have symptoms from the initial phase of testing.
"I am really proud of the team who have worked together at real pace and I am proud of the response of people in Merthyr as well and am looking forward to this continuing in the weeks ahead."
What can we learn from mass testing?
Mass testing is a key way to identify individuals who have coronavirus but may be asymptomatic (not showing symptoms).
It can help to control the spread of the virus by informing these individuals that they have the virus and thus need to self-isolate for the required period of time.
If the testing scheme is picked up by a large amount of the population in the area, then it can also help to give a clearer picture on just how widespread the virus is in the community.
Public Health Wales were vocal in their support of the government's plans to introduce the mass testing in the town, with Dr Giri Shankar encouraging as many people as possible to come forward and get tested.
“From Saturday 21 November, everyone living, working and studying in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough is eligible for a free COVID-19 test," he said.
“Anyone aged 11+ without any symptoms can have a test, but children under 18 will need parental consent. The more people who get tested, the more chances we have to reduce the spread of the virus.
“This mass testing exercise will help to understand how the virus has spread in Merthyr and to break the chains of transmission in the area. Merthyr has one of the highest rates of Coronavirus in Wales and this will help to get the virus under control."
A total of 14 sites are due to open in the borough throughout November.