Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Health Care Providers

August 11, 2021

From:
Dr. Piotr Oglaza
Medical Officer of Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

In this Issue:

  1. Provincial Rotavirus Vaccine Product Change from RotaTeq® to Rotarix®
  2. Updates to Provincial Primary Care COVID-19 Practices

News & Updates

Provincial Rotavirus Vaccine Product Change from RotaTeq® to Rotarix®

Ontario’s publicly funded immunization program is transitioning from using RotaTeq® (Rot-5), the THREE-DOSE, pentavalent rotavirus vaccine to Rotarix® (Rot-1), the TWO-DOSE, monovalent rotavirus vaccine. Both products are live-attenuated vaccines given orally.

HPEPH recommends that:

  • Infants born on or after June 1, 2021, should start their rotavirus vaccine series with the Rotarix® vaccine. This infant cohort will receive their first dose of Rotarix® in August when they turn two months of age.
  • Whenever possible, infants should start and complete their series with the same product.
  • Please use up your remaining stock of RotaTeq® and reserve your existing supply for infants who started their Rotavirus series with this vaccine. Moving forward, there will be a limited amount of RotaTeq® that can be ordered for infants that have already started a series using this product.

Rotavirus Vaccination Scenarios:

  1. If one or two doses of RotaTeq® were given and RotaTeq® IS available, complete the three-dose vaccine series with RotaTeq® at an interval of four to 10 weeks between each dose.
    Please Note: All doses should be administered by 32 weeks of age.
  2. If one dose of RotaTeq® was given and RotaTeq® is NOT available, complete the series with two doses of Rotarix® at an interval of four weeks between each dose.
    Please Note: The two doses of Rotarix® should be completed before the infant is 25 weeks of age.
  3. If two doses of RotaTeq® were given and RotaTeq® is NOT available, complete the series with one dose of Rotarix® before the infant is 25 weeks of age.
  4. If it is unknown which Rotavirus vaccine brand was given for any dose(s), complete the series with two doses of Rotarix® vaccine.

Please Note: If any of the doses delivered in the series was RotaTeq®, a total of three doses of rotavirus vaccine should be administered. All doses of Rotarix (Rot-1) are required to be administered before the infant reaches 25 weeks of age.

For more information, including potential reactions to the vaccine(s) including intussusception, please see the product monographs for RotaTeq® (Rot-5) and Rotarix® (Rot-1) and the Canadian Immunization Guide Rotavirus Vaccine webpage.

Questions regarding the Rotavirus product change-over? Please contact the Immunization Team at HPEPH 613-966-5500 ext. 222.

Updates to Provincial Primary Care COVID-19 Practices

To support primary care professionals in providing patient care this fall, the Ministry of Health has updated the COVID-19 Guidance: Primary Care Providers in a Community Setting V8.0. Notable updates to provincial guidance include:

  • Updated ‘In-Person Care’ and ‘Virtual Care’ sections, including a link to the updated Ontario College of Family Physicians' Consideration for Family Physicians: Balancing In-Person and Virtual Care
  • Updated ‘Screening’ sections for masking requirements
  • New section on COVID-19 vaccination
  • Minor updates to ‘Testing’ section and new bullet on point-of-care testing
  • Updated ‘Case Management’ for information on fully vaccinated individuals
  • Updates to the Occupational Health and Safety section including PPE requirements to wear eye protection, updates to cleaning guidelines, and self-isolation requirements after travel or exposure to a case.

In addition, the Ontario College of Family Physicians is conducting a Community of Practice webinar on August 20, 2021 with information about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines, increasing in-person visits, and preparations for fall 2021.

HPEPH is offering services by appointment only. We remain dedicated to protecting our community by providing local HCPs and community members with new information as it becomes available. Current information on COVID-19 specifically for health care providers can be found at hpePublicHealth.ca, Ontario Ministry of Health and at publichealthontario.ca.

Back to Summary

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments: hart.sara@hpeph.ca

To report communicable diseases:613-966-5500 x349

To report AEFI or DOPHS: Online / Fax: 613-966-1813 or CDCFAX1@hpeph.ca

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