Whanganui District Health Board now has the second-highest Covid-19 testing rate in the country.
The Ministry of Health released figures this week showing Whanganui has tested 41 in every 1000 people in the region.
This comes a month after director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield urged the region to raise its testing rate when Whanganui had one of the lowest testing rates in the country.
But now a total of 3473 tests had been completed in the region by May 12.
The community-based assessment centres are currently averaging at a 72.3 per cent swab rate.
The MOH figures show these statistics were equivalent to 5 per cent of the population.
The highest Covid-19 testing rate has been carried out at Tairawhiti DHB in Gisborne.
They have tested 52 people per 1000 population, with the national average being 35 people per 1000.
In the early stages of the Covid-19 response the Whanganui DHB stuck to a tight case definition before swabbing people, meaning a smaller ratio were tested.
With the expansion of the case definition, staff began swabbing more than 90 per cent of those who attended CBACS.
To date, eight confirmed cases and one probable case of Covid-19 remain in the region, with the last case being recorded on April 20.
The DHB has focused on trying to reach more remote areas to assist those who have difficulty accessing health services.
This week there have been mobile pop-up clinics in Pipiriki, Ratana and Matahiwi, which also offered flu vaccinations, HPV vaccinations, child immunisations and welfare support.
Mary Bennett, chairwoman of Hauora-a-Iwi and Emergency Operations Centre Iwi Lead, said the pop-up clinics had been a true example of collaboration in action.
"People living in remote and isolated communities can often have difficulty getting to appointments in the city. This experience tells us that when we work together with localised knowledge-holders and take the services to the people, magic can happen."
Last week, more than 700 Whanganui DBH staff were tested - as well as aged residential care workers - by DHB nurses.
Clinics at Waiouru military base and the New World supermarket in Marton also gave people the opportunity to be tested.
• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website
