As the spread of the COVID-19 virus wreaks havoc, the question of how Australia is faring compared to other countries — and what might lie ahead — is being much discussed.

But with the numbers changing by the day, and with countries fighting and tracking the disease in different ways, the figures can, at best, only tell us so much.

At worst, the data has the potential to mislead.

On March 30, Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested the stringent measures that had been put in place to slow the spread were finally starting to work

"It is clear the epidemiology curve is beginning to flatten," Mr Morrison said in a news release.

"But it is too early to determine whether such movements will be significant or sustained."

What can the data usefully tell us? How does Australia compare? And are we starting to flatten the curve? RMIT ABC Fact Check takes a look at the numbers, and the assumptions underpinning them.