Humza Yousaf stood in to give the Covid update today as Nicola Sturgeon was absent from Parliament due to COP26 in Glasgow.

The health minister provided a statement on Covid in Scotland, as thousands of people descend on Glasgow for the climate conference. 

In last week's update, the first minister warned that Covid hospitalisations were rising slightly as the virus became more prevalent in the older population. 

Experts have warned that Scotland could see a surge in cases following the climate summit due to the huge number of extra people in the country. 

However, the Scottish government has previously said it is doing everything it can to mitigate the spread of the virus during and after the conference. 

Here's what we learned from the Covid update today...

1. Covid hospitalisations still on the rise

Humza Yousaf confirmed today that Covid hospitalisations are still on the rise in Scotland. 

932 people are in hospital with Covid, with 63 in intensive care. 

632 people were admitted to hospital in the last week. 

2. Decline in cases halted

The decline in cases we saw after the summer surge has halted, hovering around 2,500 cases per day. 

This is likely to increase in the coming weeks as the temperature drops and people spend more time inside. 

3. Can't rule out reintroduction of new measures

According to the health secretary, there are early indications that cases could begin to rise again. 

As a result, the Scottish government will keep in place the limited measures which remain. 

Humza Yousaf also added that the government could not rule out reintroducing further measures. 

4. NHS and health system under huge pressure

The entire health system is under "enormous" pressure according to the health secretary. 

Pressures are likely to intensify over the coming weeks, particularly with COP26 demonstrations and bonfire night. 

Yousaf urged people to think sensibly and with the health service in mind when making decisions, to avoid putting further pressure on the NHS. 

5. More money to help with A&E waiting times

An additional package of £10 million to get A&E patients to the right care as quickly as possible has been introduced by the health secretary today. 

This aims to avoid sending an influx of people to hospital while they are near capacity.  

6. No more red list for international travel

The remaining countries on the red list for international travel have been removed. 

This is subject to change, with three weekly reviews taking place in line with the UK government. 

These changes were effective from November 1.