Delta variant The Delta variant is quickly sweeping across Florida, which experts say is a driving factor in the increase of COVID-19 cases statewide. As of Thursday, the state reported a total of 871 Delta variant cases, more than three times the 280 reported last week at this time, according to FDOH data. This data is provided to the media, including The Daytona Beach News-Journal, through weekly public records' requests made by attorneys representing Gannett. The state does not publicly release this data. Eight people statewide have died of the Delta variant, according to the FDOH data. A 60-year-old man in Hillsborough County