More than 11,000 people have signed up to join the newly formed SG Healthcare Corps in the fight against the coronavirus.

In Parliament yesterday, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong thanked those who have stepped forward, saying: "I am heartened by this overwhelming response from Singaporeans."

The corps includes retired or non-practising healthcare staff who have returned to public practice during the pandemic, as well as those without prior healthcare experience, who will receive training in support roles such as performing swab procedures or providing basic care, he said.

"So far, we have matched about 800 corps members to various needs on the ground and they are being progressively deployed," he said.

He added that members of the corps will be remunerated when they are deployed alongside the healthcare workforce.

Those on the front lines, from healthcare workers to contact tracers to public servants, have been working "flat out" for more than three months since the virus hit Singapore, said Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong.

He cited the example of Ms Jaime Lim, a deputy director at the Ministry of Manpower, who has gone from being desk-bound to being stationed at a dormitory gazetted as an isolation area, getting used to "foggy face shields, powdery palms from glove wear and facial marks made by masks".

Besides thanking those on the front lines, he also gave nods to the efforts of teachers, who have had to quickly adapt to home-based learning, and those in essential services, such as cleaners, public transport workers and delivery riders.

He added that he found it heartening to see many community ground-up initiatives that are helping vulnerable groups such as migrant workers cope with the circuit breaker.

"Our SGUnited portal saw a sevenfold increase in the total donations in this period compared to the previous year," he observed.

"Thousands of volunteers have also signed up for initiatives ranging from mask distribution, helping with applications for (the) Temporary Relief Fund and appreciating our front-line workers."

Mr Wong said that having a front-row seat to watching "the best of Singapore" at work during the crisis has been a "truly humbling and inspiring experience".

He said: "Everywhere I go, I see people who are tired, but they remain committed and focused on the mission and they are still going all out to get the job done."