A look at whether rising COVID-19 cases will change habits Published: July 23, 2021 10:21 PM EDT Updated: July 23, 2021 11:15 PM EDT Recommended We looked to see if people are changing their habits and what they think should happen next. “We are seeing cases here in Southwest Florida,” Dr. Rebekah Bernard said. “The delta variant is more contagious as far as spreading person-to-person. It seems like the estimated number of viruses in people is 1,000 times greater than the original COVID-19, which is why it’s easier to spread.” Florida Department of Health data shows Southwest Florida had the highest number of cases this past week since the beginning of February.