Yes. It seems that the best thing to do is get the least amount of people in every region infected before you should get the resistances. That way, the transportation from region to region will not be blocked.
Also, I don't really see why you guys think that Pandemic 1 and Pandemic 2 are almost the same. Take a good look at the two! You will notice real colours, moving objects from screen to screen, more options (resistances, traits), and a better point system.