"Black-lung coal miners facing serious threat from virus spread", 13 March 2020.

The biggest labor union for U.S. coal miners is warning that members are at “significant risk” from the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Mines are enclosed spaces where the highly contagious virus can easily spread, said Phil Smith, a spokesman for the United Mine Workers of America...As many as 20% of long-time miners may have black lung in central Appalachia, a historic bastion of U.S. coal production that includes parts of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. That would be an underlying health condition that could exacerbate the symptoms of Covid-19...

Overall in the U.S., about 10% of coal miners could have black lung disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention...Old age adds another risk factor for the Covid-19 virus, said Anna Allen, a West Virginia doctor who cares for black lung patients. While there are no reported cases in West Virginia, the virus has been spreading quickly across the U.S. “Eventually it’s going to come to West Virginia,” said Allen...