COVID-19 cases are beginning to climb in Maine again after dropping off in recent weeks, according to the latest state data released Wednesday. 

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 605 new cases Wednesday, the most in several weeks. There were seven more deaths reported for a total to date of 2,276. 

The people who died include two women and five men. Four were over age 80, one was in their 70s and two were in their 60s. Two were from Cumberland County, and the others were from York, Androscoggin, Aroostook, Oxford and Knox counties. 

State CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said on Twitter that the emerging, more contagious BA.2 variant of the omicron mutation of the virus is driving the uptick in infections and now accounts for 90% of cases in the Northeast. 

Shah noted that the state’s positive test rate has ticked up in the past two weeks, as wastewater COVID-19 rates have also risen sharply and hospitalizations have increased only very slightly. There were 94 Mainers hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday, including 20 in critical care and four on ventilators.

In light of the rapid spread of the BA.2 variant, the state announced Wednesday it will end pooled COVID-19 testing in Maine schools next month. The state said the widespread availability of at-home and over-the-counter testing will be a better way to limit the virus’ spread in schools. 

“The BA.2 variant is significantly more contagious than previous strains of the virus, lowering the likelihood of detecting, identifying, and isolating an individual with COVID-19 through pooled testing before that individual has spread the virus to others,” the state said in a news release.

The state said its effort to supply schools with test kits will mean every staff member and student will receive at least five tests for free, and officials also urged schools to take advantage of other free test kit supply programs through the state and federal agencies. 

The state said it has distributed nearly 400,000 point-of-care tests to school nurses and health staff since November and 120,000 more to child care facilities.