I have been struggling trying to get the cloth seat covers off the top half of the front passenger seats (from waist to shoulder when seated). At the very bottom, there is a clip that is holding the cloth cover together that I'm guessing is some type of a hook-like design. I don't want to use force or screwdrivers to wedge it open because I don't want to replace the current hooks and am only making a slight adjustment to the seat's back support.

I'm not making any progress by using my hands and the seal is pretty tight. Has anyone taken off the covers before?

Any advice/tips is appreciated