B.C. reported 414 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, for a total of 68,780. There were also 16 more COVID-19-related deaths, 4,426 active cases and 278 in hospital. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix say in a joint statement that businesses need to make sure they are closely following public health orders as the province deals with COVID-19 variants. "We know the COVID-19 variants make things more challenging as the virus is more likely to spread quickly, which is why we all need to continue to make safe choices," the statement says. COVID-19 hot spots also remain in British Columbia's Interior Health authority, where dozens of new cases have been reported in Williams Lake, Fernie and Big White ski resort.