Cardinal Wilton Gregory, head of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, said he has tested positive for the coronavirus and is canceling his appearances at services this weekend.

       The leader of the region’s 655,000 Catholics said in a statement Friday that he tested positive after being given a rapid antigen test by a lab technician that morning as part of his pandemic routine.

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       “I am fully vaccinated and boosted,” he said. “I am experiencing no symptoms at this time and overall I feel quite well. Following my doctor’s guidance, I will now quarantine at home.”

       Tracking coronavirus deaths, cases and vaccinations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia

       Gregory, 74, joins more than 1,913,000 people who have contracted the deadly virus in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Washington is one of the country’s pandemic hot spots. The virus has killed more than 28,000 people across the region.

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       Gregory is among other high-profile leaders in the region who have recently tested positive for coronavirus; last month, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and the county executives of Prince George’s and Baltimore announced they had contracted covid-19.

       And on Saturday, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) announced he had tested positive for the virus, and urged everyone to wear a mask, get vaccinated and get a booster dose.

       “I have mild symptoms,” he said in a statement. “Just feeling tired, and … grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.”

       Since Christmas, the region has seen the highest seven-day averages of new cases at any point since the pandemic began in early 2020, fueled in part by the omicron variant.

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       The seven-day average of daily new reported cases per 100,000 people was 298 in the District, up 60 percent in the past week; 147 in Maryland, up 84 percent; and 116 in Virginia, up 92 percent.

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       As a result, some hospitals have been overwhelmed.

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       On Friday, the University of Maryland’s Capital Region Medical Center in Largo, its Bowie Health Center, and the emergency department of its Laurel Medical Center declared a hospital emergency, the system announced Saturday. Staff may be deployed and surgeries rescheduled to handle the crisis, the hospitals said. Several other hospitals declared “disasters” last month due to the coronavirus caseload.

       Gregory said he canceled his participation in services Saturday and Sunday. “When our work week begins on Tuesday, January 4, I will work virtually as needed,” his statement said.

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       He last celebrated a public Mass on Dec. 26 at Holy Family Church in Hillcrest Heights, Md., Patricia Zapor, media relations director for the archdiocese, said in an email Saturday. But he has not been distributing Communion to the public since the pandemic began.

       “As the omicron variant of Covid sweeps through our area, I ask that you please continue to be extremely cautious: using appropriate facemasks, getting vaccinated and boosted, and following the guidance of our public health officials,” Gregory said in his statement.