Liu Keyou is a taxi driver for Beijing's Shou Qi Group. The 50-year-old man has been in the profession for over 15 years. He is also one of his company's first drivers to get vaccinated for COVID-19.
"I got my first shot on January 12. I wasn't worried about it at all. I really looked forward to getting a shot earlier because it will protect me, my family and my colleagues. It's also one of the best ways to curb the spread of the virus," said Liu.
Liu said the medical staff at the vaccination site asked him questions about his health condition, age and medical history. Like others who have received the vaccine, Liu said he and his colleagues were asked to stay back at the site for 30 minutes after the shot to watch for any adverse reactions.
"Right after receiving the vaccine, my arm hurt a little. I went to work later that day. My arm still felt a bit painful in the evening. But these symptoms were all gone the next morning. Maybe it differs from person to person," Liu added, saying he feels all good.
Liu has gone back to work after getting the shot. His profile presenting on users' ride-hailing app suggests he has been vaccinated.
"I feel safer when I come into contact with passengers," he added.
"About 80 percent of the drivers in our fleet have taken their first shot," said Liu Lu, chief driver of Shou Qi Group's 14th Fleet, adding they will arrange the second injection for them soon.
Some drivers haven't been vaccinated due to their age and health conditions, Liu explained.
Inoculated or not, Shou Qi Group requires all its drivers to provide nucleic acid test results every seven days in order to prevent a further outbreak.
Additionally, drivers need to completely disinfect their car whenever they head out.
One perk of these prevention measures lies on passengers. "I feel safer when I know the driver has been vaccinated. It can protect both passengers and the driver," one of Liu's passengers told CGTN.
Much like Liu, his passengers believe vaccinating is the best way to curb the pandemic. All of them hope it can be brought to an end sooner rather than later.