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Here’s why there are three Covid updates from the Scottish Government today

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

Along with the usual weekly Covid update, there will also be statements given in Holyrood this afternoon on the recovery strategy and planning for the winter months.

There will be three official statements in total.

Firstly, Nicola Sturgeon will update the Scottish Parliament on the current Covid situation in Scotland.

As well as discussing daily case numbers, hospital admissions and deaths, the first minister is expected to address the glitches around the vaccine passport app.

Deputy First Minister and Covid Recovery Secretary John Swinney will then touch on the country’s coronavirus recovery plans.

Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, will talk about the winter months in Scotland.

He is expected to reveal what plans are being made to support the ambulance service and hospitals during this time.

Vaccine passport pain

There will be great interest from Scots in the first minister’s comments about the new vaccine passport app.

After launching on Friday, thousands of people reported issues – from being unable to find it, unable to register or simply being told “no match found”.

On Monday, Mr Swinney said paper vaccine passports may be the only option for those having issues registering.

There were 1,760 new positive coronavirus cases reported in Scotland on Monday, so Ms Sturgeon will also reveal whether this has risen or fallen overnight with updated figures.

As well as the updates on Covid levels across the country, she is also expected to give an update on the rollout of vaccinations.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire health boards recently announced they would be ending drop-in clinics, but this decision was quickly reversed following criticism from parliament.

Given the current ambulance crisis, it is also possible that Ms Sturgeon will touch on recent reports police have been aiding the ambulance services in certain areas of the country.

It was revealed that, instead of forcing them to wait hours for an ambulance, there have been instances of officers taking people to the hospital.

Where can I watch the updates on TV?

All three updates will be delivered in Holyrood this afternoon.

Ms Sturgeon is due to begin at around 2.20pm, dependent on the preceding items, and will be followed by questions from other members of parliament.

At around 3.20pm, Mr Swinney will give a ten minute statement on the recovery plan, then about 20 minutes will be allowed for questions.

Mr Yousaf will follow with the winter statement at around 3.50pm.

The afternoon’s statements can be streamed live on Scottish Parliament TV.