This OID records how many individual packet samples were collected from the near-end during this measurement window as a simple count. You care about this because fewer samples means less confidence in the accuracy of your packet loss measurement—if only 10 packets were sent, losing 1 looks like 10% loss even if it was just bad luck. For instance, a value of 5000 means 5,000 packets were tested during that interval, giving you a much more statistically solid packet loss number.