Health department officials expect the H1N1 virus to continue showing up through 2010. According to the Centers for Disease Control, some 22 million people have already contracted H1N1. Of course, exact numbers are difficult to come by since most people who get sick don’t see a doctor and many others aren’t tested for the virus strain. There were also an estimated 98,000 hospitalizations from the virus in 2009, including 31 in Lee County. The county had five deaths as a result of patients contracting H1N1 out of 187 deaths statewide. Jennifer James-Mesloh, spokesperson for the Lee County Health Department, said the number of county residents visiting the emergency room for flu-like symptoms peaked in the fall of 2009, yet that doesn’t mean the virus itself is vanishing. “What we are seeing out of the CDC is that, at this point, we don’t know,” said James-Mesloh when asked if the strain will begin dissipating this year.