r b w swpd free buff cache si so bi bo in cs us sy id
23 3 1 146208 12052 37120 3338624 0 0 5680 320 675 1492 43 56 0
15 5 1 146208 11620 37224 3338308 0 0 6616 436 751 1888 44 58 10526879
7 9 1 146208 11716 37264 3338252 0 0 5228 76 713 1675 42 57 1
6 11 0 146208 11716 37344 3338144 0 0 4288 40 688 1560 45 50 5
16 4 1 146208 11684 37408 3337380 0 0 5576 180 733 1637 48 51 1
20 7 1 146208 11684 37496 3337104 0 0 5624 328 684 1634 44 59 10737416
9 8 0 146208 11684 37560 3336904 0 0 6424 60 694 1613 45 54 1

Can anyone please advise me to why these big numbers are appearing under vmstat? The server is red hat 8 under a vmware esx environment, hosting databases.

Thanks in advance

I don't have a system anywhere near that old, but I'd suggest the kernel is unaware of being a (virtual) guest. The counter is probably going negative during periods when the guest is not dispatched.