Over the last week, we have averaged 239 deaths per day, an increase of nearly 48% over the prior week.

Each death is tragic and even more heartbreaking when we know that the majority of these deaths

could be prevented with a simple, safe, available vaccine.

With hospitalizations and deaths on the rise, the CDC director says the highly contagious

Delta variant now accounts for 83% of new COVID cases. The question is, have we entered a fourth

wave of the pandemic? Plus, President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure deal appears to be in peril.

Lawmakers are still at odds over how to pay for the package.

The question is, what happens if Republicans block the vote scheduled for later today?

And Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrate their Super Bowl championship at the White House.

The question is, did Brady really poke fun at former President Trump during his

visit? You bet he did, and it's way too early for this.

Good morning and welcome to way too early, the show that congratulates the Milwaukee Bucks on their title

and is not even going to try to pronounce Janice's last name. I'm Jonathan Lemire on this Wednesday,

July 21st. We've got a ton of news this morning. Let's get started. We begin with the explosive

fourth wave of COVID-19. The dangerous delta variant is now responsible for 83% of new infections. This, a full seven months

after the first, highly effective vaccine became available in this country. Yet, hospitals are

again inundated with a surge of very sick patients, while infection numbers climb virtually everywhere.

The wave is crashing over the most vulnerable states and

communities, places with low vaccination rates. NBC News, Miguel Ambogare has the latest.

Inside a growing number of hospitals across the country, there is little doubt our nation has

already entered a fourth wave, an explosive summer surge in COVID cases, few predicted.

Fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, now accounting for 83% of all new cases,

...