Wake (Vaka)

I'm working late tonight.

Both Johanna and Zaid are sick.

Yeah.

Dad, since school's closed, can we go swimming?

Shush… Just, please don't yell.

What do you mean?

- I'm not yelling. - No, all right...

I'm hungry.

Yeah, well…

There.

There.

Hey! What are you doing? What…

What? You're letting them eat that?

What?

What are you talking about?

Oh!

I thought it was…

It looked like…

Let me see your eyes.

I think it's gotten worse.

ECDC

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL

- Hey! Open up! - We open at 8 a.m.

What the hell…

Hello!

Open!

- What's going on here? - I don't know.

OUR MONEY IS NOW THEIR MONEY

How long have you been up?

I'm trying to understand all this, but it's…

No matter what we do, it'll be wrong.

This's not about people's opinions, it's about saving their lives.

You do remember how to do that?

I'll get dressed and then, we can have a coffee and talk about it.

- Hmm. - Hmm.

Elwing.

Morten Allander, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Yes. Hello.

I'm afraid we have bad news.

It's not been verified yet,

but we have plausible information on the new virus.

We suspect it might be present in Stockholm's drinking water.

We think it's from a lab

that belongs to the pharmaceutical company Framkemi.

Our source claims that the contamination has been ongoing for at least two weeks.

Mr. Prime Minister, do you understand the implications of this?

But it hasn't been confirmed yet?

No, but the information is coming from a credible source.

A whistle-blower at Framkemi.

Yeah…

Do you have any proof that...

The person has given us data and samples that we're checking.

I understand, but…

At this time, it's just one person claiming this,

and they could possibly be lying.

Of course, I will come back to you

as soon as our own labs confirm this information.

Yes, please do and…

Let's make sure to be on the safe side for now.

It's important that we don't release any incorrect information before...

Mr. Prime Minister, I hope you understand that we're aware

of your own connection to the company.

Of course I under...

And this kind of serious threat to people's health

requires quick action.

- Quick and coordinated. - Well…

Absolutely. Thanks so much.

Who was it?

Hi, Moa.

Honey, how are you feeling?

When was someone here last?

I don't know.

- Excuse me, can someone check on… - Not now.

I'm sorry.

Daniel, can you check on Moa in room 6?

Sure. When I have time.

What did you give her? She almost seems catatonic.

Muscle relaxants.

It's ineffective, but it's all we have, or had, rather.

We've run out of them now.

How long have the worst cases been awake for?

Yesterday we had someone who'd been awake for nine days.

I think Moa's been awake for more or less two weeks.

- Two weeks? - Yes.

Any cramps? Hallucinations?

Did she take any stimulants? Any medication for ADHD?

We need help in here!

- Hey! Stop! - Oh, my God!

Damn it.

- She has cardiac arrest. - Get the crash cart.

Elin, help me.

Hold her head.

One, two, three, four,

five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve…

- No news about the virus outbreak? - No.

- Shouldn't we hold a press conference? - Have we heard from any other region?

A train crash in Uppsala.

Some regions are reporting more calls

to the emergency services, but nothing extreme.

- It's nice to have you back. - Thank you.

She's still in hospital.

- She's not herself. - Yes, I noticed.

There are rumors going around about this virus.

Shouldn't we be giving guidelines, telling people to stay at home?

If we do that, very soon, none of our hospitals will be functioning.

Nor will the government.

It'll be chaos.

But Christian, will all due respect,

don't we have to consider people's safety?

With all due respect, that's what I'm doing.

Anything else?

I asked Jessica to book a meeting with the chief virologist.

I've prepared a memo with four guidelines

for the county's regions and municipalities.

One, keep your distance.

Two, wash your hands.

Three, wear a mask in crowded places.

And four, boil your drinking water.

When does the personnel from Malmö arrive?

- Tomorrow. - Yeah.

Ask the Secretary of State for an ETA on the equipment from Denmark,

Sure, but they'll ask for more information before the give us more personnel.

I have to check everything before I can send anything.

Yeah.

You know that in nature, most predators will go for the jugular.

- Yeah. - I just mean that…

When it's all said and done,

when we remove our inhibitions and social norms,

maybe we're not so different from other animals.

Great.

Elwing?

Your roomie just had some bad news. He needs some time alone.

You're coming with me.

- This is my room too. Why should he... - Just come with me now.

We're going to Section B to do some cleaning.

I don't get it.

So, I'm cleaning toilets while he gets to chill?

Listen.

He just lost his daughter. Show some respect, damn it.

- Darn. - Yes, darn.

Three years old and the heart stopped. I can't even imagine.

So just go.

The virus makes the nerve cells pump out huge amounts of receptors.

That's why people can't sleep.

Ingenious, really,

if it wasn't for the fact that many cells also die.

So, the cells die after infection?

Yes, en masse.

That causes damage to the frontal lobe.

Amnesia, erratic behavior,

depending on where the cells die.

We're also seeing cardiac arrest following a stroke,

as with the Prime Minister.

But in his case, the virus accelerated what would have happened in any case...

Do you have any theories about treatment or preemptive measures?

Unfortunately not, but we're working around the clock

in order to understand the consequences of all this.

Our current focus is proper sequencing of the virus

and contact tracing.

We are also doing cross-checking

to try and understand which factors might possibly give immunity.

Some people are not getting ill, despite living with someone who is.

Beatrice?

We need you at the infection department.

Prime Minister Christian Elwing

is holding a press conference

regarding a new, unknown virus,

and according to Region Stockholm, it's spreading fast in the municipality.

SWEDEN CURRENT AFFAIRS LIVE

SWEDEN - NEWS

Good afternoon. Welcome.

We can at this time confirm that Sweden's been hit by

a new and very serious virus outbreak.

I can also confirm that this new virus, which people call "Vaka,"

has also been found in blood samples

taken from Prime Minister Richard Pavic after his death.

The most obvious symptom of the virus,

discerned by medical experts,

is a severe type of insomnia.

Meaning it's almost impossible to sleep.

All the currently confirmed cases have been discovered in Stockholm.

Therefore, we believe that the outbreak is mainly in the municipality of Stockholm

and surrounding municipalities.

Medical experts are working to find out how the virus spreads,

but based on what we know today,

be diligent with hand hygiene,

keep your distance.

We recommend wearing a face mask when you are in crowded spaces.

This will apply until we know more about how the virus spreads.

That's it for today. We will come back when we know more.

- One question... - Prime Minister…

Just one more question!

- All right. What do we do now? - Let's start working.

Finland and Norway wants more information before they send any personnel.

- How about the Danes? - Same thing.

What's up with the Ministry of Health? Why can't they just send across all data?