Update, April 12: Malibu had a total of 16 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Sunday, April 12, according to numbers released by the County of Los Angeles Public Health Department, following the first week of substantial widespread testing for the pandemic among Malibu residents.
The increase has also shifted Malibu’s overall rate of known infection to 123.45, meaning if Malibu had a population of 100,000, approximately 123 residents would be projected to have tested positive for the disease.
That rate of infection has outpaced that of the nearby cities of Calabasas, Agoura Hills and Santa Monica. Calabasas recorded a rate of infection of 94.56 as of Sunday; Agoura Hills, 95.77; and Santa Monica, 99.52.
The rate brings Malibu closer to the rate of infection of neighboring Pacific Palisades, which as of Sunday had 32 confirmed cases of the viral disease, caused by the novel coronavirus, bringing the neighborhood’s rate of infection up to 150.3.
Update, April 10: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Malibu was up to 14 by the afternoon of Friday, April 10.
Though its total number was among the fewest in nearby municipalities, Malibu’s infection rate, meaning the number of infections per 100,000 residents, reached 108.2 on Friday, outpacing the nearby communities of Calabasas (with an infection rate of 94.56), Agoura Hills (95.77), unincorporated Santa Monica Mountains (26.85) and the City of Santa Monica (95.19).
Nearby Pacific Palisades, with 31 confirmed cases, had an infection rate of 145.6 per 100,000 residents.
Update, April 5: As of midday Sunday, April 5, there were eight confirmed cases of COVID-19 among Malibu residents.
On Thursday, April 2, the first five confirmed cases were reported by LA County Department of Public Health. That increased to eight by the afternoon of Friday, April 3, holding steady at that count through the weekend.
Confirmed cases of the disease, caused by the novel coronavirus, were expected to continue to increase county-wide as testing ramps up, including the first widely available testing to take place in Malibu.
For more information on Malibu testing, click here.
Update: The city released a statement from Malibu Mayor Karen Farrer in response to Malibu’s first five positive COVID-19 test results.
“My heart goes out to our Malibu residents who have contracted this terrible disease, and all of Malibu joins me in wishing them and their family and friends a full and speedy recovery,” Farrer said. “No one in Malibu, or anywhere in America, will be able to avoid being impacted by this pandemic. I urge everyone in our community to come together and follow the stay safe at home orders, and support each other so that we can slow the spread of coronavirus and protect our vulnerable residents.”
Los Angeles County on Thursday announced five cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Malibu. This was the first such announcement from the county, which previously declined to release Malibu-specific figures.
Malibu’s cases make up a tiny fraction of the 4,045 laboratory-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus reported in Los Angeles County as of midday Thursday, April 2. As of that day, there were 78 confirmed deaths in Los Angeles County due to the viral disease.
Visit malibutimes.com/covid-19/news for the latest news and information on the viral outbreak.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.