Coronavirus: Is India ready for a third wave?

Key Facts

Low case counts (India has been recording around 10,000 new Covid cases daily) and the ongoing vaccination drive (nearly 80% of the 940 million eligible adults have received at least one dose so far) seem to have dimmed the memory of a brutal second wave in April and May this year.
The recent reports of a dengue virus outbreak - an endemic disease - in many Indian states is proof that the health system is still not equipped to detect and tackle emerging and re-emerging diseases.
When the pandemic arrived in early 2020, the hope was that the stringent lockdown would afford an opportunity for the government to strengthen an understaffed and under-funded public health system.
But spending has only marginally increased since - it accounted for just 1.3% of GDP in the fiscal year ending 2022 - and is clearly not on track to reach the target.