A shot of hope

Home Care Aides tell why they got the COVID-19 vaccination

In the end, for all of them, it was because they are professionals. And they care about their clients.

Belinda King Rios

“You know what? I respect my clients,” said Home Care Aide Belinda King Rios, a Full Life HCA for seven years. “I’m a caregiver. It’s my job.”

Other Home Care Aides who recently explained why they decided to get their vaccinations echoed Belinda’s sentiment.

Currently, all adult Washingtonians are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Home Care Aides have been designated essential health care workers for a couple of months now and have been encouraged to take advantage of any vaccine that they can obtain.

Still, for some folks, it’s a difficult decision. Misinformation abounds. But for these three the decision came down to professionalism.

“It was for myself and my clients,” said Ndeye Diouf, who’s worked as an HCA for about a year. “But most importantly for public safety.”

These three, too, had reservations at first. But for Willian Encheverria, as well as the others, the decision became easier after all did some research.

“I trust in God and trust the scientists to get a good vaccine. We know there is no vaccine that’s 100 percent,” Willian said. “I watched the news a couple of weeks ago and heard from a doctor who said it doesn’t matter (which brand of vaccine you receive), you are not going to die if you get any vaccine.”

Ndeye said she would encourage anyone who is hesitant to think about vaccination as a civic duty.

“I would recommend to anybody as an adult to be aware of our responsibility to fight against the virus,” she said.

And for them all, it’s a professional duty.

“I’m a caregiver. My clients are like family to me,” said Belinda. “I take care of them from top to bottom!”