The Jerusalem Post reported on figures presented Wednesday to Israel’s coronavirus cabinet by professors from the Racah Institute of Physics and The Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

They said the R number (the average number of people each infected person will go on to infect) has not slowed though is expected to drop in the coming weeks.

Israel is facing one of the world’s worst coronavirus outbreaks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered the lockdown, closing many businesses, banning large gatherings and ordering people to stay close to home. He also said it would last at least a month.

Israel’s coronavirus death rate per million has now exceeded the United States and hospitals there are close to capacity. Additionally, Israel’s daily confirmed new cases per capita remain the highest in the world. According to data from the Israeli Defense Forces Military Intelligence Directorate, Israel’s daily death rate over the last week has been 3.5 per million people, while the US rate was some 2.2 per million.

The death toll passed 1,500 on Monday night, with over 500 new deaths recorded in about three week