question: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has proliferated rapidly in Pakistan, adversely affecting every province The grave repercussions that the pandemic has elicited in Pakistan have evoked a dire need for drastic measures to be employed at both the governmental and provincial levels Due to the inequitable appropriation of healthcare resources with respect to the various provinces, however, a stark contrast in terms of morbidity and mortality persists Furthermore, considering that Pakistani citizens constitute a noteworthy proportion of expatriates residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the close proximity of the two countries, due consideration of the situation in the UAE is also warranted We present a transnational review to delineate the current state-of-the-art in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and evaluate pragmatic management protocols that remain at the epicenter of a national healthcare conundrum