A "selfish" hoarder has stockpiled thousands of pounds worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) - but refuses to offer any to struggling hospitals or care homes.
Admin assistant Becca Brown is in debt after splurging her £2,500 savings and more on masks, gloves and shields, but believes medical authorities "should have been more prepared".
The 35-year-old, who keeps the PPE "under lock and key", is even using some of her unused lifesaving equipment to create coronavirus-themed artwork.
And in an attempt to recover some of the £700 credit card debt she accumulated, Becca has admitted selling some PPE on eBay for five times the original price.
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This comes as Brits stood in silence yesterday to remember the brave medics and carers who have died fighting the virus.
Official figures show 82 NHS workers and 15 social care staff have lost their lives to covid-19, though it is feared those numbers are far higher.
While nurses have been forced to wear bin bags due to the drastically short supply of equipment in hospitals.
Becca - who has been abandoned by many of her friends - cares for an elderly aunt near Portsmouth and began ordering PPE online early in the crisis to avoid regular trips to the shops.
She bought 500 pairs of surgical gloves when they were selling at around £10 for a box for 100, as well as specialist respiratory masks with filters, 300 face shields and disposable gowns and overalls.
"When the coronavirus hit I decided I was going to be ready," she told The Sun. "It’s a lot of money but worth it for the sense of control it gives me.
"It’s not my job to ensure the NHS have proper protective personal equipment. That’s the government’s job."
She added that the PPE is also forming part of an exhibition, explaining "items the NHS use every is my canvas", but she won't use used equipment due to fears of being infected.
"I make absolutely no apology because as an artist I have to stand by my work and my right to buy what I want," she added.
Becca does, however, take part in the clap for carers on Thursdays and praised the "great job" doctors, nurses and carers are doing during the crisis, but added: "That is their job and what they are trained for."
Coronavirus has now killed more than 100 health workers and over 21,000 people in hospitals.
Thousands have also died in care homes in recent weeks, with experts fearing the toll in those could ultimately exceed that in hospitals.
