Local experts say UK COVID-19 variant is more contagious than original virus Florida leads the nation when it comes to the dangerous variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK, with at least 186 confirmed cases of the virus in the state. and last updated 2021-02-03 18:26:33-05 TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) â Florida leads the nation when it comes to the dangerous variant of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK, with at least 186 confirmed cases of the virus in the state. Experts in the Big Bend who've studied the virus for months say this was expected. Right now the health department said it's working with epidemiologists to perform contact tracing so that they can monitor anyone who came into close contact with those two positive cases.